


This Love We Share

by orphan_account



Category: Actor RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Magic, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-31
Updated: 2015-05-31
Packaged: 2018-04-02 06:28:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4049695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They met each other when they were boys when life was simple and innocent. As they grew, they discovered that love was more complicated than kisses under the stars.</p>
            </blockquote>





	This Love We Share

**Author's Note:**

  * For [furiedheart](https://archiveofourown.org/users/furiedheart/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Of Earth, Eternal](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3643557) by [furiedheart](https://archiveofourown.org/users/furiedheart/pseuds/furiedheart). 



> This started out as a gift for furiedheart because I like giving her stuff because she's a gift to the Hiddlesworth fandom and I love her a lot. 
> 
> So enjoy this story. I hope you guys like it.

The Ancient Laws dictated that the Forest must have a Guardian in order for the protection charms to remain intact. The Guardian must be one of selfless character who left behind the mortal world and entered the mythical world whole heartedly and willing.

The current Guardian was named Thomas. He was reborn on the summer solstice out of a tree burrow, fully formed with golden ringlets for hair and large, expressive, blue eyes. The animals of the Forest gathered pieces of silk and cloth for the fey to fashion into clothes. Thomas was welcomed gladly into his new home. He walked the woods during the day and slept in the comfort of the tree bowers at night.

As the Guardian, Thomas was responsible for every living creature set within the charmed boundaries and also protecting them from the greed of the mortal world.

Thomas became friends with the squirrels and sang to the birds and tended to the plants. He learned from the fey and the other mystical creatures that lived closer to the Heart of the Forest. And with the great hart, he was able to explore this little realm under his protection and guidance.

As Thomas became acquainted with his home, he realized that he was the only one of him in the Forest. He asked the creatures and the fairies why he was the only one, but they did not know. They were not concerned with that matter. If they had their Guardian then they were happy.

So Thomas went to the great hart for answers, and when the hart shifted his human form, he said this:

“There is only ever one Guardian. Many Guardians may result in a difference of opinion that may bring discord to our way of life. We choose our Guardians carefully, and it may take many years until we find the right one.”

“Will I always be alone then?” Thomas asked, hugging his knees close to himself.

The hart wrapped his arm around Thomas’s thin shoulders. “I cannot see into the future, Thomas. But know this: you will never be alone in these woods.”

The hart returned to his original form and pranced away, leaving Thomas to ponder if he truly was always going to be alone.

* * *

The loneliness that Thomas felt persisted, but the intensity of it slowly dissipated as he became fully engrained in the society of the woods. There were paths winding through its entirety that the mortals took from one village to the next. None of the paths led to the Heart, and the mortals never liked to stray from the path, for the Forest was dark with many hidden secrets. But there was one traveller that always seemed to stray from the path with the intentions of exploring.

This traveller was a boy about the same height and age as Thomas. He had golden hair that was always tangled and dirty. He liked to play outside and go on adventures and was also very inquisitive. He always had a walking stick with him and liked to climb trees and turn rocks over to see what was underneath them. A few times he wandered dangerously close to the arch that led to the Heart of the Forest, but he left soon after and Thomas followed behind him to make sure he left the Forest unharmed.

Many times the boy came into the Forest, and Thomas followed him in secret. He was curious about the fair haired boy and wished to know why he was so taken with the Forest. No mortal had ever explored the Forest so deeply like this boy had. He was not afraid of its sunless space and strange sounds. He was enthralled by them.

One day, the boy ran into the Forest with sudden urgency. He left behind the paths and went deep into the woods, so deep that he stumbled upon the Heart.

The Heart was a sacred place where the magic dwelled and the fairies called home. The grass was always green, greener than anything else. The water in the stream was a crystal blue with a sweetness to it. The fruit on the trees hung like precious jewels, always at the peak of ripeness. The boy walked straight up to one of the fruit trees and plucked a round fruit that resembled an apple.  It was then that Thomas had to approach the boy.

 “What are you doing?!” Thomas asked, appearing suddenly and startling the boy. “That fruit belongs to me! You cannot take it!”

The boy stumbled back but kept his grip on the fruit. “I’m so sorry,” the boy stammered. “But my mother is sick. The village elder said that the fruit from the Heart of the Forest would be able to cure her. If I offended you, I’m sorry. I’ll—I’ll leave the fruit. I am sorry.” The boy set the fruit upon the ground reverently and turned away, shoulders slumped.

Thomas bent to pick up the fruit and weighed it in his hands. He didn’t want to see the boy so upset especially if this fruit would be able to save his mother. And if he gave the fruit to the boy, then maybe the boy would see this as an incentive to come more often.

“Wait!” Thomas yelled, and the boy stopped to turn around. “I supposed giving you one fruit wouldn’t hurt.”

“Really?” said the boy.

Thomas shrugged. “As long as you promise never to tell anyone how you got here or take one again without my permission first.”

The boy stepped forward and smiled, face lighting up. “Thank you!” He took the fruit and cradled it in his hands. “I won’t forget about this.” He took off and ran out of the woods. Thomas hoped it would be in time to save his mother. It would be a shame for him to come all this way and not succeed. He hoped it wouldn’t stop the boy’s visits, however. Thomas was growing quite accustomed to his presence.

* * *

Thomas’s wishes for the boy to return where fulfilled tenfold. The boy continued to return almost daily, seeking out Thomas with determination. He didn’t know what it was about the boy that intrigued him so. He had a roundish face and full lips, blue eyes with golden hair to match. He was always smiling and was also a bit smaller than Thomas. He was also a physical being and liked being able to touch Thomas, to lean up against him and nudge him as they walked.

The boy also had a habit of asking a multitude of questions that Thomas couldn’t answer.

“Where are you from?”

“Do you live here alone?”

“Where are your parents?”

“Why do you live in the woods?”

They were perfectly reasonable questions, for Thomas was not like the mortals even though he looked like one.

Sometimes Thomas would leave the boy suddenly after being asked questions he couldn’t answer. The boy would ask out loud for Thomas to come back, but eventually he would leave after realizing Thomas did as he pleased. Even if he’d been offended by Thomas’s lack of hospitality, he always returned with his sunny countenance.

* * *

“What is your name?” Thomas asked one day as they lay on their backs in a clearing.

“My name is Christopher!” the boy said. “What is yours?”

“Thomas.”

“I like your name. Thomas. It sounds pleasant.”

“Thank you.”

They lay in silence and ate of the fruit that Thomas often brought with him. In exchange, Christopher brought the few sweets he’d been allowed to purchase and shared them with Thomas. Thomas found he liked Christopher very much. He wasn’t greedy or threatening as he’d been told by the creatures of the Forest—it wasn’t often that they trusted mortals. Christopher was through and through a kind soul.

Thomas found that he liked Christopher very much.

* * *

“I hear you’ve made a friend, Thomas,” the hart said one day.

“I have,” Thomas said, rubbing his forehead. It was quite sore these last few days. It felt like there was something underneath the skin there.

“His name is Christopher,” Thomas said. “He visits me often and brings me things from the village. I like him very much.”

“I’ve also heard that he entered the Heart. And that he left taking one of the sacred fruits.”

Thomas felt chastised under the hart’s steady gaze. “Did I do something wrong?”

“The fairies do not take lightly to thievery of their fruits. As the Guardians, you are here to protect them from people like your friend Christopher. The fairy world and the mortal one are separate for a reason, Thomas.”

“But I had to give it to him!” Thomas said, gripping the hart’s arm. “His mother was sick. I did not want to see him in mourning.”

The hart raised a brow and sat down to lower himself on Thomas’s level. “Tell me of this Christopher, Thomas.”

So Thomas told the great hart of Christopher and how wonderful he was, how nice, how kind, how beautiful.

“He sounds like a lovely boy, Thomas,” the hart said. “I can see why you gave him the fruit.”

“He wouldn’t do anything to hurt me. He’s never tried to go back to the Heart, and he wouldn’t if I didn’t invite him to.”

The hart smiled and nodded once. “Then I will tell the fairies that they have nothing to worry about. Take care, Thomas.”

“Yes, thank you.”

The hart rose and then frowned down at Thomas who was rubbing at the sore points on his forehead. He reached out and massaged the points for him. “Your horns,” the hart said. “They will be coming in soon. I must go now. Farewell.”

“Goodbye.”

The hart shifted into his beast form and walked away back into the woods.

* * *

While Thomas waited for his horns to emerge, he and Christopher spent much time together in the future, and Thomas found himself looking forward to each of Christopher’s visits. Thomas showed Christopher the Forest, his home, and Christopher looked at everything with wonder, giving Thomas his full attention.

At first Thomas was unnerved by Christopher’s stares and proximity—he was the only being of the forest—but he slowly grew accustomed to Christopher’s presence and enjoyed being able to talk to someone like him.

But Thomas did not shirk his Guardian duties for his friendship with Christopher. He remained loyal to his forever home, and soon he began to mature into the forest spirit that he was.

Thomas’s horns finally emerged as tiny, ivory white nubs. They were a strange and gangly thing to behold, but he couldn’t be prouder of them. They were a part of him and signaled his growth into becoming the true Guardian of the Forest.

“Christopher!” he said one day, running to meet his friend. “Look!” He bowed his head so Christopher could see the tender nubs of his horns.

“Horns?” Christopher asked. “You have horns?”

Thomas raised his head. He didn’t think what might happen if Christopher was startled by his inhuman appearance. While the two boys looked similar, they were of different worlds.

“May I touch them?” Christopher asked softly.

Thomas nodded and tipped his head down. He felt Christopher skim over the small nubs.

“Did it hurt?” he asked.

Thomas shook his head. “My head was sore for a few days, but they finally emerged!”

“I’m very happy for you, then,” Christopher said and stepped forward to hug Thomas. Thomas accepted it and set his head on Christopher’s shoulder. In the future he would have to be worry about placing his head, for his horns were sure to grow.

“Thank you, Christopher.”

* * *

The years continued on. Christopher began to mature into a tall youth, whiskers sprouting at his chin, muscles broadening his shoulders. He was very lovely and very fair, Thomas thought. Thomas had grown as well, growing taller and more graceful. His hair was still the ever curly golden halo, and his horns continued to grow and thicken and curve back. They were a fine ivory white that often glistened in the sun and moonlight, and Thomas took pride in them. He especially liked it when Christopher trailed his fingers along them when they lay side by side on the ground to watch the stars.

“Do you ever wonder if something is truly out there?” Christopher asked. “Like, what are the stars? Are they gods or just fairy lights or are they something else? And the moon? The priests tell me the moon is a goddess sent to protect us from the demons at night.”

Thomas laughed. “The moon is nothing more than a great rock in the sky that’s coated in silver dist. At least, that’s what the fairies say it is.”

Christopher turned on his side to look down at Thomas, reaching up to stroke one horn. “And what else do the fairies say?”

“They say many things.”

“Tell me, for I wish to know.”

So Thomas told him the things the fey had taught him. How trees were actually dead spirits and liked to play around with you as you walked through the woods either ending up in the wrong place or being hopelessly lost. How the stars formed images of the gods of the land. How the connection between soulmates was one of the most powerful forces in the world.

“Thomas,” Christopher said.

“Mmm?” Thomas blinked his eyes open and looked up at Christopher, noticing how he had fallen asleep. “Oh, I’m so sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. I was wondering if I could give you something.”

“What is it?”

Christopher looked down shyly. “I never did thank you properly for saving my mother that day, and I wish to repay you in the form of a kiss.”

Thomas frowned. “Kiss? What’s a kiss?”

Christopher leaned down until their faces were just a finger width’s apart. “This is a kiss.” He pressed his lips softly against Thomas’s for a mere moment before pulling away.

Thomas reached up to touch his lips, finding that he rather liked the kiss and that he wanted another one. He reached up and cupped the back of Christopher’s neck and guided him down for another kiss.

And another and another and another until the moon hung high and bright in the sky and Christopher had to leave.

* * *

They shared more secret kisses at their favourite spot: a raised rock in a clearing for them to look at the sky. Thomas had never been happy those days. The Forest flourished under his care, and everything remained alive and healthy. Even the hart had noticed Thomas’s light behaviour, but he shared with the Guardian grave new and wise words.

“You must be careful with your relationship,” the hart said. “Mortals are fragile and live short lives compared to the likes of us. Their problems are often petty and crude. I will not tell you to stop seeing the boy, but take care, Thomas. He will not be around forever.”

Thomas did take new to heart, and it was one day that those words would ring true.

* * *

When Christopher was on the cusp of manhood, he came to Thomas and was very subdued. He smiled at Thomas in greeting and took up his hands and kissed his cheek—a familiar greeting between the two now—but Thomas could feel that something was troubling Christopher.

“What’s wrong, Christopher?” he asked, searching Christopher’s lovely blue eyes for an answer.

“War has been declared,” he replied, pulling Thomas down to sit with him upon their stargazing rock. “I have to leave to aid in the fight. I leave tomorrow.”

“Oh,” was all Thomas could say.

They sat in silence. Thomas held Christopher in comfort. He knew little in the matters of warfare, but knew that it harmed all manner of mortal, beast, and nature. It changed things, often not for the better. Thomas worried that Christopher would come back a changed man who no longer had time for Forest spirits.  He also worried that Christopher would not come back at all, but he would rather not think about those thoughts now.

“I’m sorry I have to leave,” Christopher said. “If there was a way, I would stay.”

“I know you would,” Thomas said, smoothing back Christopher’s hair. “Wait here for a moment.”

Thomas left Christopher on the rock, and he waded into the river. He reached into the water and pulled out a smooth stone about the size of a large coin. He dried it off and warped his magic around it, warming it until it was encased in a piece of metal. With more whispers and spells, the stone changed colour to a pale blue and a thin silver chain sprouted to hang from the pendant. A few more enchantments he whispered to it until it started to warm in his hands with the spells of protection he laid upon it. He returned to the rock and gifted the pendant to Christopher.

“This will protect you,” Thomas said, clasping the silver chain around Christopher’s neck to let the pendant hang around his neck. “At least I hope it will.”

Christopher looked at pendant and blinked. “Thank you.” He leaned forward and kissed Thomas on the lips.

There was urgency in their touches and caresses. While Thomas knew very little in the matters of intimacy, he acted on instinct and dragged Christopher onto the mossy Forest floor. They kissed and touched and held each other, tears quietly dripping down their faces and onto the earth beneath them.

Christopher was the first to remove his clothing, removing his tunic so Thomas could touch his skin and know his body like his own. Thomas in turn removed layers of his own clothes, stripping away the garments until he was bare ad Christopher followed suit.

They kissed, and Christopher pressed down upon him, a great weight that anchored him. Thomas parted his legs, and Christopher rolled his hips. Thomas moaned into the kiss, holding Christopher closer to him.

“Do you have any oil?” Christopher asked. “I’ve heard about –well, _about,_ and I heard that oil makes it easier.”

“Oh. _Oh._ ” Thomas brought his hands together and blew into them, squeezing in on his magic to create a vial of oil. “Will this do?” He held up for Christopher, who smiled and nodded eagerly.

Christopher coated his fingers and brought them down between Thomas’s legs. The oil eased the passage and the stretching, and by the time they were both ready, Christopher slid smoothly and painlessly into Thomas.

It was a new sensation for the both of them, this heat and sense of fullness. They moved against and with each other in a dance that seemed so familiar and so right. Their skin gleamed with sweat underneath the pale light of moon, and together they reached completion. They gave themselves to one another, and Thomas knew in his soul that there would never be another for him. Christopher would be the only one for him now and forever.

* * *

With Christopher off to fight in someone else’s war, Thomas retreated into his Forest and resumed his duties as the Guardian. The squirrels and other small creatures still spoke to him, but their words rarely reached out to him. The birds sang to him, but he did not respond. If he did, his heart was often not in it. He tended to the plants and still provided the same care. He tried not to think of the boy—man, he reminded himself. Christopher was now a man—who claimed his heart, tried not to think of the battles he was in, the wounds he would receive, and the way he might be changed.

No. Thomas put Christopher out of his mind. He was a child of the Forest, so his focus should remain on the Forest. He couldn’t shirk his duties simply because of heartache.

He protected his woods and saw that the Heart of the Forest remained hidden and untouched. He walked the paths of the woods. He watched travellers pass by. He saw the leaves change colour and drop. He watched the snow fall and blanket the earth. He slept the winter away in a pocket of warmth underneath the floor of the Heart, curled up in layers of silk and fur. In the spring he emerged, refreshed and well rested.

Christopher remained out of his thoughts for many years to come.

* * *

Years passed, and Thomas retreated into his loneliness. The part of him that was happy, that was love and could love had left with Christopher in that very pendant Thomas had given to him.

It was to his immense joy and surprise that Christopher returned to him on a foggy fall morning dressed in travel worn clothes, walking slowly and limping. Thomas sensed him from afar and went to greet him at the border of the Forest.

“Christopher,” he breathed.

He was very much a different man now: older, more subdued, travel weary.  He bore scars now from his time in the war. One upon his eyebrow and another on his neck. He also limped, but there was still the same light in his eyes that Thomas had come to admire. And around his neck was the pendant that Thomas had gifted to him on their last night together all those years ago.

“Hello, Thomas,” he said, voice deeper and rougher than before. “It’s good to see you again.”

“It is,” Thomas said. “I am glad to see you are whole and well.” He wanted to step forward and pull Christopher to him, but Christopher kept his distance. “Welcome home.”

Christopher smiled tightly. “It’s good to be back. How have you been?”

“Well but . . . lonely. I am happy to see that you are home now.”

“Your horns.” Christopher pointed at them. “They’ve grown so beautifully while I’ve been away. May I?”

Thomas nodded and bowed his head. Christopher reached forward and stroked the ridges.

“I have something to tell you,” Christopher said, once more drawing away from Tom. “While I was away, I met someone. She was a healer in the war. She tended after me when I was injured. She healed me, brought me back from the brink of death. I fell in love with her and brought her back to the village. We are to be . . . married.”

“Married,” Thomas repeated. A cold feeling settled in the pit of his stomach.

“Yes. In two weeks. I’m sorry.”

Thomas crossed his arms over his chest. “I waited for you,” he whispered. “For years I waited and dared to hope that you would return safely. And now you have and you’ve promised yourself to another.”

“What did you expect? Did you expect me to return to you so we could resume what we barely had?”

“How dare you mock what we have! I gave myself to you! You were my first. You were the only one for me, and now you’ve returned with another and decided to spurn me and forget what we had together.”

“I am sorry,” Christopher said. “Truly. But we live in two different worlds. I am human, mortal. You’re a spirit who belongs solely to the woods. It was selfish of me to think that I could ever have you, and I’m sorry for the grief I have caused you.” He reached up to unclasp the pendant and handed it back to Thomas.

Thomas recoiled. “Keep it,” he said gently. “It was a gift.”

Christopher dropped his hand. “Thank you. I shall keep it always.”

While Thomas was still hurt, he knew that Christopher was a changed man that he couldn’t contain and keep by his side. His heart was with another, and he would honor that.

“I hope you have a wonderful life together,” Thomas said.

Christopher smiled. “Thank you.”

“And welcome home, Christopher. It’s good to know that you are all right.”

“Thank you again. I should leave, though. I have to prepare the house for when we are married and I have lots of work ahead of me.”

“Take care.”

“You, too.”

* * *

The hart found Thomas near the stargazing rock. He shifted forms and approached Thomas, with his head bowed and shoulders heaving from his cries.

“My poor, sweet Thomas,” he said, wrapping the Guardian up in his arms. “Love is a fickle thing. It is both a gift and a curse to those who come to experience it.

“Why couldn’t he have come back alone?” Thomas asked. “Why does it have to hurt so much?”

“Soulmate relationships are the hardest of all because they can hurt so much. You are meant to be, Thomas, but Christopher is right when he says you are very different people.”

“Why are you saying this? It is not very comforting.”

“What I’m saying is be patient. Your path in life was never meant to be easy.”

Thomas pulled away and wiped his eyes. “Will you tell me the story of when I was born? I know I’ve always been set apart and that love always spurns me. I wish to know why.”

The hart nodded. “You were very young when we found you. Your mother was a witch, gotten with child on accident. She raised you as best she could, until she could take no more. She left you with us, and we took you in. You were reborn to us as a Guardian, as a child who knew no love, and yet could love so deeply and so fiercely. And then you met your one, your soulmate. And you gave him all your love and in return you were given nothing. Your life, Thomas, is one of selflessness and hardship. If you wish to have your happy ending, then remember patience.”

The hart kissed Thomas’s head and was off, shifting with ease and disappearing when Thomas needed him most. While Thomas was fulfilled in knowing his origins, he was still bitter about Christopher’s sudden marriage. But if they were true soulmates, then he would take the hart’s words seriously and practice patience.

* * *

Their lives took very separate paths from then on. Thomas retreated to his Forest and resumed his duties. He reconnected with the animals and wandered the woods to meet with all the inhabitants. Christopher built his home with his wife, settling into domestic life quite nicely. Soon he was blessed with three children. He worked the land to make a living to support his family. He worked long and hard hours to feed them. They were happy. Thomas could sense that through the pendant Christopher still carried with him, for Thomas had slipped a piece of himself in the pendant for Christopher could always carry with him.

Thomas was still upset with Christopher, though. He wanted so much to love and be loved in return, but Christopher was a changed man and he had made a valid point: Thomas was a forest spirit; Christopher was mortal. They belonged in different planes of existence. It would probably never work out between them, and Thomas was saddened by this. But he could not allow himself to be bitter about it. He would have to move on. So he did.

He kept watch on Christopher’s family and homestead from the tree tops. Christopher had put his family near the woods, which was a comfort. From there Thomas could watch as Christopher’s family flourished as well as the land under his care. Thomas was happy that Christopher was doing so well.

When his children were old enough, Christopher and his wife would venture into the woods for a walk as well as to collect items that Christopher’s wife used to heal with. Thomas watched them from afar, careful to keep his distance. The children were beautiful, and Thomas wished them the best of life. Christopher was certainly doing well.

Sometimes Christopher came to the woods alone. He would walk the woods as he did when he was a child, and Thomas would trail after him.

“Your family looks well,” Thomas commented.

“Yes. The kids are growing well. James already knows how to read.” Chris smile, eyes crinkling at the corners.

They walked the paths of the Forest together, making idle small talk and acting as if they were simply friends instead of complicated lovers. Thomas took the time to admire him. Over the years, Thomas had stopped aging entirely, remaining the way he looked in his youth as a young man. Christopher was older now, a man well into forties. There were wrinkles at the corner of his eyes and his forehead. His hair was whiter now than the blond along with his beard. He was still solidly built, but now he suffered creaks in his joints and arthritis in his hands. He was an older man now and would continue to age, constantly growing away from Thomas.

“Your wife,” Thomas said. “How is she?”

“She’s well, thank you.”

“Give these to her for me, will you?” Thomas held up a fresh bouquet of flowers he had just picked. He didn’t hate this woman he didn’t know for taking Christopher. No. She gave Christopher something Thomas would never be able to.

Christopher took the bouquet and smiled. “Thank you. She’ll love them. I must be heading back now. It was wonderful to see you.”

“Yes, it was. Take care.”

“Take care as well.”

For a moment, Thomas thought Christopher would lean forward and kiss him on the cheek, but the man didn’t. He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably before nodding and lifting the flowers in thanks before turning and lumbering down the path and out the Forest.

Thomas sighed and felt a drop of rain on the tip of his nose. How appropriate.

* * *

They danced around each other for years to come, but they remained close friends none the less. They rekindled their friendship, laughing and talking as old friends once more. When Christopher could, he would come out to their stargazing rock and look up at the sky as they had once done. He told tales of his children, and Thomas listened as he spoke, finding that he dearly missed the cadence of Christopher’s voice.

But the years began to add up and they began to take a toll on Christopher’s health. Some days he could not stay for long or did not come to the Forest at all. He fell asleep often at their stargazing rock and Thomas would throw his cloak over the man so he would not become cold. Sometimes he wished he could lay his head on Christopher’s chest and listen to the beat of his heart. But perhaps that was too intimate for them now. So he let Christopher sleep.

A few times during their walks, Christopher became wracked with coughs and he would be forced to stop and double over with the force of them.

“Christopher!” Thomas cried out in alarm. He held Christopher by his arms, scared that he knew there was nothing he could do for him.

Eventually Christopher straightened out and his coughs became throat clearings. “I’m all right,” he croaked. “I’m fine. I’m sorry I scared you.”

Thomas stared at him disbelief and leaned his head on his shoulder. He started crying quietly, hands gripping Christopher’s sleeves.

“Thomas?” he asked. “What’s wrong?” He calloused hands cupped Thomas’s cheeks and tipped his head up.

“I’m scared, Christopher,” he admitted, flicking away his tears. “One day you will leave me. Forever. And I cannot bear the thought of living without you.”

Christopher pulled him into his arms, and Thomas did not have the strength to pull away. “I’m sorry,” Christopher said. “For all the things I have done to you. I know this is not the way you envisioned our relationship, but if we are to be together, then it will happen.”

Thomas pulled away from Christopher and wiped away the traces of tears on his cheeks. “Is that what you believe?”

Christopher nodded. “I love my wife. Gods, I love her. But with you I feel like I’m complete. Like I’ve always been a part of myself and with you—you make me whole.”

Thomas nodded. “I’ve been told to practice patience. But I will admit that I am scared that all this waiting will amount to nothing.”

* * *

Christopher’s ever failing health meant he came to the Forest less and less until his visits stopped altogether. Thomas feared that the worst had happened: that Christopher had passed and that his soul was where Thomas could not go.

Through his grief, the Forest suffered. He began to neglect his duties, and soon the leaves on the trees began to take on a sickly hue and fall to the ground well before their time. He felt the Forest’s hurt inside himself, and he decided then that love was not meant for him. He wiped away the last of his tears, splashed some water on his face, and went to tend to him home. He toiled away in his duties to make sure the Forest flourished under his care once more. All the while he ignored the painful throbbing in his chest.

* * *

One day after many years since his last encounter with Christopher, Thomas was approached by an old man, back stooped with old age and hands gnarled from arthritis. But around his neck was the pale blue pendant Thomas had made so many years ago.

Thomas kept himself hidden at first. Christopher had changed much during their years apart. He was an old man now, hair gone white, bulk diminished, but his blue eyes were still bright and clear.

Thomas stepped around the tree he was behind and walked calmly towards the man. He didn’t know how he felt just then with Christopher’s return. Relieved, yes, that he had not yet died. But also calm and reserved. He was not the weeping mess he thought he would be.

Really, he didn’t know how to feel.

“Christopher,” he said. “It’s very nice to see you again. How are you?”

Christopher smiled and opened his arms. “Come here. I have missed you. Indulge your old man.”

Thomas found he could not argue and quite liked being in Christopher’s arms. Tears stung his eyes, but he blinked to clear them. What would happen would happen. He had no control over such things.

“My old man,” Thomas repeated with a soft laugh. “I guess that is true. Old, but still handsome.” He kissed Christopher’s cheek.

“How I’ve missed the sound of your voice,” Christopher said. “It has been too long, my love.”

“Yes. Too long. Come. Sit down with me. I wish to hear about your tales.”

“Tales?” Christopher laughed, taking Thomas’s assistance to sitting down on a log. “I have no tales. I am an old man now. All I have is my memories now. No exciting tales about fighting dragons and rescuing princesses now.”

“Then tell me,” Thomas said, “where you have been these last few years. I’ve missed you terribly. You didn’t even say goodbye.”

“My apologies. I never meant to leave so suddenly, but I was struck down with an infection in my lungs. My wife—the healer that she was, told me that we had to move closer to the sea. The air there would help with my lungs, and they did. But I missed you every day I spent there.”

“What brought you back then?” Thomas asked, reaching forward to clasp Christopher’s hand between his own.

“My wife passed away not too long ago.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Thomas was. She was a lovely woman who loved Christopher just as deeply as he did.

“Our marriage was long and fruitful and I loved every moment I spent with her. But I could not stay there knowing you were still here, hurt by me, scorned by me. My children all have lives of their own now. They no longer need me. I have nothing left in this world but this.” He held up the blue pendant. “Will you forgive me, Thomas? I may have given my wife my heart, but I gave you my soul that night before I left for the war.” Christopher reached back to unclasp the pendant with shaky hands. He dropped it, chain and all, into Thomas’s hands and closed his fingers over top of it. “Many years ago, I came upon a witch. I told her of my predicament in wanting to join you and your realm. She enchanted the pendant you gave me so that when I die my soul will pass into it. You may take it and do with it as you will. That way we will always be together.”

Thomas looked up at Christopher with tears in his eyes. He kissed the gnarled and scarred hands before him. Now he understood. Now he saw Christopher’s reasoning for rejecting him that day. He was not yet done living his mortal life, wanting to see everything he could before he died.

“Of course, my love,” Thomas said. “I will look after us now.”

Christopher nodded and wiped away a tear with a shaking hand. “Now and forever, my love?”

Thomas nodded and smiled. “Now and forever.”

* * *

Christopher died three days later under the care of the village nearby. He was buried in the cemetery, and Thomas watched the procession from the edge of his Forest. Around his neck hung the pale blue pendant that thrummed against his skin. He retreated into the woods and went into the Heart. There he knelt upon the ground and dug a shallow hole in the ground. He set the pendant into it and covered it up, patting the soil softly. And then he waited.

He waited a long time, for he did not know the exact nature of the spell. During that time, the great hart kept him company.

“I hear your lover has returned to you,” the hart said. “Is this true?”

Thomas smiled and nodded. “His soul rests now in the Heart. I thought it would be best for him to rest until he can be reborn.”

“A wise decision. Mortal souls are often weary after they pass. Life on them is tiring and harsh.”

“Is that what happened to me when you found me?”

The hart nodded. “You slept for three winters, and we wondered if you would wake at all. But you did, and now you have found your soulmate.”

“Yes, I have.”

“And how does that make you feel? You have spent so many years waiting and hoping and now you have him by your side.”

“Peaceful. I have not felt this complete in, well, in forever. Since I woke up in this Forest.”

The hart smiled and touched Thomas on the shoulder. “You deserve this, Thomas. Now go. Be with your Christopher.”

Thomas grinned and ran straight into the Heart where the animals the fey had gathered around a naked and dirty man. He had crawled straight out of the dirt it seemed, clawed his way out of its deep embrace. Thomas dropped down beside him and saw that he was still sleeping. He smiled and touched Christopher’s cheek.

“Christopher,” he whispered. “Wake up.” He bent down and kissed him on the lips, smiling when he felt the other respond.

“Did you miss me?” he asked.

Thomas let out a cry of joy and leapt into Christopher’s open arms, who was once more whole and youthful as he had been when he was a young man. They kissed and laughed and rolled in the long grasses. Their love burned strong in their hearts, and together they consummated their relationship once more under the sun and the bright blue skies.

And so it came to be that the Guardian of the woods would no longer be alone.


End file.
